Longer Work Days Leave Americans Nodding Off On the Job

50 hours per week say they get less than 6 hours of sleep per night on workdays with 36 percent saying that they only get a good night’s sleep a few nights per week or less. Other characteristics of extended hour workers:

Four in every ten (40%) report driving drowsy at least once a month in the past year.

The majority of this group (86%) say they just “accept it and keep going” when sleepy during the workday;

55 percent say they consume caffeinated beverages to help cope with sleepiness, consuming an average of 2.68 cups/cans per day;

47 percent of this group say that they never take naps to make up their sleep, but 13 percent say that they nap while at work;

28 percent report using a sleep aid at least a few nights each week;

Those who work more than 50 hours per week report symptoms that put them at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (16%).

Shift Workers are also predominantly male (70%) with 30 percent of this group reporting that they only get a good night’s sleep a few night’s per month or less. A third (33%) of shift workers state that they sleep less than six hours per night on workdays with 18 percent of this group reporting a doctor telling them that they have obstructive sleep apnea. Other sleep-related attributes for shift workers include:

The majority of shift workers (82%) say that they just “accept it and keep going” when they experience daytime sleepiness;

67 percent report consuming caffeinated beverages to help cope with daytime sleepiness, consuming an average of 3.02 cups/cans per day;

49 percent report consuming foods high in sugar and carbohydrates when experiencing sleepiness, and

28 percent report the use of sleep aids;

Shift workers report high rates of:

Drowsy driving with nearly half (48%) reporting that they have driven drowsy at least once per month in the past year;

Napping with 64 percent saying that they take one or more naps per month and 16 percent report napping at work;